(C) AP Photo: New York City Municipal Archive - West Side of Sixth Ave and 40th Street - May 1940

The New York Municipal Archives has just and it’s Department of Records just announced the availability on-line of almost a million images of New York from more than a 100 years ago to the mid-80’s. The images are part of a collection of over 2 million images shot over the years by municipal workers – from projects like the building of the Manhattan Bridge, to one of my favorites – the public swimming pool in Astoria, Queens in 1940. We see a city as vibrant as today but also gritty. From workers hanging new cables on the Brooklyn Bridge with the low-rise nature of downtown Manhattan punctuated by the Woolworth Tower, to crime scene photos. As with everything, time presents new perspectives on our lives and our city. Click here to see more

What I do see is that Manhattan is as vibrant as it ever was – and more and more so is an affluent and greener city year by year, attractive new residents, immigrants and real estate investors regardless of whether they are just starting out on a new life journey or depositing the riches of a life built elsewhere at 15 Central Park West. – Tony Sargent